I Am No Hyuuga
by Naitachal666
Summary: The story of a teenager's desperate battle to overcome the emotion and family that opress him. How he finds succor and freedom, through any means that apply.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto. It is the property of Masashi kishimoto.

I Am No Hyuuga

Through liquid pools of silver that define nothing beneath, I, Hyuuga Neji, looked out at the breathing world and found nothing to catch my interest. There is little that attracted my searching gaze, but when I found my probing eyes drawn to something, it was truly something indeed. The birds soaring freely above are not worthy of my jealousy, but as I stared up into the summer breeze, bitterness grew within.

Always have I watched these feathered creatures with longing, a heartfelt ache to feel their freedom, if only for a moment. Sighing, I had turned my head from gazing upwards to look down at my clenched fists. There was no hope to free myself. I was bound as tightly to fate as the fact that the sun rises by day and the moon by night. Or so I thought.

Staring at the wall ahead of me so I wouldn't have to look at my teacher pacing back and forth in front of the classroom, I listened boredly to his lecture on the dynamics of the V2 rocket and its predecessors. We had been covering the subject of dynamics and their effects on objects for almost a week now and, I admit, it has become an extremely boring subject. Sighing, I tapped my pen on my desk a few times and shifted in my seat. My foot began tapping on the floor and I rested my elbows on the desktop with my head in my palms. The teacher turned to me.

"Neji, would you like to add anything on the subject? You seem to be pretty knowledgeable about it." Orochimaru-sensei's voice was dripping sarcasm. He waited for a moment. "Well?"

I sat up straight, stilling my feet beneath me, and sighed. Somewhere along the way, I had lost track of the lecture. There was no avoiding it. I either had to guess and try to get it right, or tell the truth. Or wing it and come up with something completely unbelievable. Usually, I would have told the truth. But some small spark of defiance decided to rear its head and I opened my mouth.

"This is stupid. I've been listening to you preach on the exact same area of discussion for an hour every day, each day of this week. Why don't you just shut your mouth, sit at your desk, and ogle your assistant like you do when you have nothing better to do?" I crossed my arms and glanced at Yakushi Kabuto, Orochimaru's assistant. The man blushed and turned his eyes away. Orochimaru, however, leveled me with a hateful glare, ignoring the muffled laughter and whispers.

"Hyuuga Neji," The pale skinned man rasped. "You will report to the office immediately. Don't bother waiting for your pink slip. I'll send it up." With that, he turned away in an attempt to forget my lingering presence as I gathered my textbook and back pack.

I stepped out into the hallway, all too aware of how silent it was. I could hear the hushed babble of a TV set in one of the rooms. Certainly that class was watching some form of animated children's movie, Finding Nemo, or some such. I pass that class, stepping quickly over to my locker and depositing my school books, and instead taking out a worn, dog-eared novel from the back. My hand is familiar to its shape, easily fitting into the slight curve the book's hard cover had taken over time.

It was a collection of stories by authors barely known to even the most knowledgeable of literary persons, compiled over a hundred years ago and printed well before my time. The characters were vivid, a reader easily falling into their world and feeling their plights and freedoms. Animals, all of them, mostly birds. I fashion myself the stoic Kingfisher on dreary days. Others the wily Crane. Even the incessant Woodpecker, when it befits me. Once I even compared myself to the stalking Panther at night, his pale, luminescent eyes focused on some small creature perched below. Right now, I feel like the rambunctious Jay.

My feet carry me into the office, the door sliding with a soft sigh across the carpet as it closes. The receptionist looks up, surprised when I seated myself in one of the chairs reserved for those having come in on bad behavior. I ignore her, settling down in the last chair left, the last one in line. I put a foot up on the cushion, propping my hand and the open book it holds on my raised knee. Minutes pass. Finally, my name is called and I snap the book shut, standing slowly and making my way towards the principal's office. Trading one chair for another, I seat myself in front of Principal Tsunade, noting her wry expression. Her words seemed to surprise both of us.

"Both you and I know you're human, and Orochimaru can be _damned _annoying," This sounded as if from personal experience. "So, I'm letting you off the hook, Neji. However, there had better not be a repeat, or there will be consequences. Now, you are going to walk out of my office and skip the rest of this period by sitting in the waiting room over there," Tsunade's slender, manicured finger pointed to the door I had come in at. "and I am going to write this off." The pink slip was picked up and waved.

I stood and turned to leave, but the woman's voice stopped me.

"Oh, and Neji? You owe your teacher an eight page essay on dynamics. It's due Wednesday." She smiled before shooing me out of her office, ready for the next student in line. I oblige her, removing myself from her presence and stepping back into the waiting room. All of the people from before were gone, but there was one new person that I had never seen before. Probably a new student. And he was sitting in _my _chair.

**Normal POV**

The slim Hyuuga approached the chair he had been sitting in before being called in to see Tsunade and stood patiently in front of it. Its new occupant was staring off into space, mouth slightly open and eyes unblinkingly focused on the wall to his right. A hand slowly dragged itself through the air in front of his face several times before those eyes centered and focused on it. Then, in logical order, they traveled to the wrist and up the arm, over and up to look at Neji.

"Earth to new kid, office is vacant." It sounded like the tall brunet had been repeating himself for some time. "Alive?" Neji smirked, when the green eyes slowly blinked up at him.

"Erm…yeah…?" Definitely a question. The petite redhead blinked again, becoming more aware with each flutter. "Uh, what'd you say?"

Neji arched one slender eyebrow in mock disbelief.

"I said, 'Earth to new kid, office is vacant'. Meaning, its your turn to see Tsunade-sama."

"Oh…" Looking around, the teen who looked to be about sixteen reached under the chair and pulled out a messenger bag and pulled the strap over his shoulder.

"Thanks, man." He stood, and Neji noticed he only came up to Neji's chin, mouth if you counted the wayward spikes sticking straight up out of the general melee. Neji held out his hand, and the other hesitated only a moment before shaking.

"Hyuuga Neji, at your service." The name was given with a friendly grin. "So, do you have a name, or should I just call you 'Space Cadet'?"

"Sabaku no Gaara. From Suna." Gaara's head tilted to the side and his red spikes listed dangerously. "Everybody's a little weird there." Gaara's head whipped around to look at the door to Tsunade's office from which a shout had resonated, and the entire back section of spikes collapsed. When Gaara turned back to Neji, the rest of it lost most of its vertical potential and fell in soft spikes sticking every which way, regardless of the hands that reached up to correct them.

"Shoulda used the hair glue if I wanted spiky spikes." Gaara informed Neji solemnly, hands giving his uneven hair one last pat and tug. "I gotta go see her." A careless finger pointed in the general direction of Tsunade's office, missing it by a fair margin. "Later, Neji." The redhead abruptly spun on his heel and strode towards the far door. Sitting down in the now empty chair, Neji opened his novel and began to read.

"N-Neji-niisan, c-can I borrow you-your laptop?," Hinata, Neji's cousin, asked softly. Almost everything the dark-haired girl did was soft, but Neji didn't mind. Once upon a time, he had, but that anger has long since dissipated.

"Sure, Hinata." I reached over from my spot on my bed and snagged the corner of my laptop where it sat on my dresser. Once it was within easy reach, I handed it up to her and asked her to bring it back when she was done with it. Turning back to my homework, I plugged in the twenty-fourth equation I had been assigned into my calculator and glanced up at the clock. It was 9:00 PM, Friday night and I had nothing to do once I finished my Calculus work.

The light summer drapes on my window billowed in the gentle breeze, letting the night scents and sounds of the estate into my room. It was quiet outside, mostly just the chirruping of crickets and the hypnotic buzz of cicadas riding on the breeze amongst the rustling of treetops. Every once in a while, I would catch the distinct murmur of lowered voices drifting up from the downstairs rooms. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but I made a game of trying to match the voices to whomever they might belong.

Sighing, I closed my text book and slid it into my backpack, along with my papers and the calculator I had been using. I pushed the bag to the floor with my leg and rolled over onto my stomach. The scent of lavender washed into my nostrils, a product of the incense bulbs hanging from the ceiling. It was a nice, relaxing aroma that made me almost want to sink into the soft sheets I lay on and stay there. But, the fact that I was in sore need of entertainment kept me from doing that.

Instead, I rolled on my side and propped myself up using the window ledge, looking out at the estate grounds. Far off in the distance, I could see the guards patrolling the fence line with their dogs. Even farther, the lights of the town peeked over the roofs of the houses. It was a quiet, inviting night, and I wanted to be out in it.

Pulling myself up using the window sill, I moved off of the bed and to my closet. It was nice out, but not weather for my trusty purple bathrobe. Albeit, a very warm and fuzzy purple bathrobe. I pulled out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, but decided to trade the shorts for a pair of jeans a moment later. I almost never wear jeans. So, wearing my almost new jeans and a white t-shirt, I trotted out of my room and down the hall. I stopped at the head of the stairs, considering doing something I hadn't done in ages.

Listening and looking in all directions, I found that there was nobody to see me. Up I went, onto the banister, and down the long flight of stairs. Completely, improper but extremely fun. My, chocolate hair flowed out behind me as I glided down the banister sidesaddle-style. I caught myself right before I would have racked myself on the banister post and got onto the rail for the last flight of stairs. This time, I didn't use my hands. As I reached the end, I put out my hands and went leaping over the post to land with a thump on all fours on the carpet. Just like how I used to do it.

Grinning, I ran to the door before anyone could catch me when they came to investigate the commotion I was making. Just before the front door closed behind me, my ears picked up the dry voice of the butler, Geoffrey.

"I do believe that may have been Master Neji, taking the star-rail express." The laughter of one of the maids followed.

Jogging down the graveled path, stone crunching beneath my feet, I let the wind drag my hair across my shoulders to beat at my back. Each warm breath was whisked from my lips by its cool touch. I felt like I could fly, even if I knew I couldn't.

Finally, I was standing at the front gate of the Hyuuga estate. The gatekeeper's job was keeping track of who entered and who departed, So I wrote my name on the sheet he handed me and glanced at the clock to write the time. Now, I could leave.

Doing so, I set out at a quick jog, intending to make it into town in only a few minutes. The blacktop was like a hole of deeper blackness in the spaces between streetlights. Around me, the night was far from still. Furtive rustling in the brush, twitters of disturbed birds shifting on their perches, and the faint sounds of a dog barking came to my ears. Peaceful.

As I neared the town, I was glad to note that it was quiet here as well. Sounds were reduced to a low murmur by the late hour, it seemed. Passing Konoha's gates, I waved at the men standing guard and headed for the town center.

It was brightly lit, strings of colored lights hanging in the fronts of shops and stretched between lamp posts. A few dozen people wandered about, looking at wares in the shops, sitting on benches with their loved ones, teens hanging out with their friends at the open air restaurants, even just people here for the enjoyment of other people. There had to be something to do here. Spotting a piece of glaring orange through the door flaps at the Ichiraku Ramen stand, I pushed my way past them and found that y guess was correct.

"Neji!" Naruto exclaimed. "What are you doing up so late? What happened to the prude I know?" It was said teasingly, taking away most of the sting the words would have carried.

"I'm bored." I told him, sitting down to his right. The look on his face was memorable, though it quickly changed. No doubt, the rascal was trying to come up with a way to tempt me into participating in one of his schemes. At this point, I might actually be bored enough to join in.

"Go for it." Naruto looked surprised at this, but forged on.

"Okay, Neji. You see, there's something I've really, really been wanting to do. It'll take at least three people, and I want you to be one of them." I nodded, and he continued. "Sasuke-teme'll probably be the other one, besides me. So, we go to the housing district and put something in Orochimaru-sensei's mailbox. I already have it, but I'll need some help. Then I have a few other things I want done. That's where you and Sasuke come in. You in?"

I thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Sure."


	2. Chapter 2

Welcome to chapter two of I Am No Hyuuga. To the two people that reviewed: THANK YOU!!! You gave me the inspiration to work on this chapter and get it up so soon. Heh. Get it up...slaps self I need to get my mind out of the gutter, ne? Well, thank everybody who read as well. I'm not exactly sure where this is going, but I have to figure out how to mutate this to my wishes. That being said, let me get ont oth disclaimer so you can get on to the story.

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Naruto or its characters. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto.

"Sasuke! Sasuke-teme!" Naruto's voice was a whispered shout, surprisingly quiet for the blond. I knew it wasn't going to work. Sighing, I placed a hand over Naruto's mouth to silence him.

"Which window is Sasuke's?" I asked. Naruto pointed to the one just to the right on the second story. Reaching down between my knees from where I crouched with Naruto in the bushes behind the Uchiha compound, I picked up a small pebble in my hand. I tossed it in the air and caught it, then sent it sailing through the half open window. My guess as to the position of the bed was correct, for a moment later, Sasuke was glaring down at us.

"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto hissed. "Come on! We've got something planned!"

I leaned away from the finger pointed in my face, noticing the Uchiha's quirked eyebrow. Hyuuga Neji did not normally skulk in the bushes, especially not with Naruto. Yet there I am. He nodded and pushed the window up the rest of the way. Silently, he turned and lowered himself out the window, dropping only once he was at the full extent of his arms reach. As Sasuke hit the ground, he tumbled with practiced ease and popped up in front of us. Gesturing for silence, he led us out and around the edge of the compound to a decaying brick wall wreathed with vines.

"Go over," were the only words spoken, followed by an example. Each of us used the thick vines for hand and footholds, climbing over the top of the wall and descending on the other side. Finally, we rested for a moment in the moon's light.

"So, what's in the bag?" Sasuke asked me. Wordlessly, I opened the duffel bag I had set at my feet and pulled out several things, showing them to the Uchiha before putting them back. Sasuke nodded. It was obvious what we were going to do.

"Orochimaru?" The Uchiha's voice was mischievous and his dark eyes glinted deviously in the wan moonlight.

Both Naruto and I answered with smirks.

"Ok, you take these and put 'em in the mailbox. Then you can help Sasuke-teme and me finish up with the rest. Got it?" I nodded, and Naruto handed me an insulated lunch bag. Inside it, I could feel several hard, frozen shapes. The blond melded into the shadows in the alley and I could barely see his movement as he headed around towards the back of Orochimaru's house. It was time for me to get moving.

I waited for several moments, making sure that the street in front of the house was empty. Taking the momentary respite from watching eyes, I dashed out to the mailbox and hastily opened the lunch bag. I put on a knitted mitten and grabbed the first cylindrical object. It gleamed cold and white in the moonlight. What was it? Shaving cream.

Naruto had been planning this attack for awhile, it would seem., as it was over a week ago that he bought everything we would need. Several large cans of shaving cream were frozen, and then carefully extracted from their metal shells. When allowed to melt, they would expand and fill a large space. I put them one by one into the mailbox. Next, I very carefully reached into the bottom of the lunch bag and extracted a Ziploc bag from it.

We had definitely come prepared. Holding my breath, I quickly unsealed it and dumped its rotting contents on the frozen shaving cream. When the sun rose, it would be a frothy, stinking, rotting mess of mess of raw meat and scented cream. I smiled and shut the lid.

a short while later

"Here. Hold this." Sasuke pressed a roll of toilet paper into my hand and began unrolling the one that he still had. I followed his example, and soon we were decorating the trees and the front of the house. Naruto had already done the car. Now, the blond was mixing something oddly vile smelling in the birdbath. As Sasuke gestured to me, I made a long throw and my roll went flying over the peak of the roof. Sasuke caught it expertly, grinning at the long trail of paper that had marked its course behind it. Then, he wrapped it around a post and tossed it back. Soon, the rooster wind vane was sporting a fair amount of toiletry. Now that we had used up all the paper, we moved on to the next thing.

Naruto's vile concoction as scooped into Styrofoam cups and was used to coat the windows and doors. I poured some onto each of the steps and even a little on the chair on the porch. Stepping carefully over my mess, I went for the duffel bag on the side of the house and pulled out the last things. Two cartons of eggs and a bag of all purpose flour. I used a small knife and slit the top of the bag after handing Naruto the cartons. Carefully walking back up the steps, I poured the flour in a mound in front of the door and all down the steps and over to the car. I made it a point not to step in it and leave any footprints.

I moved to where Naruto was after slinging the duffel bag across my shoulders and Sasuke offered to share his carton with me. I smirked and pulled out four Grade A eggs. By the time we left this dump, it was going to be _trashed._ Especially after we silently rearranged and tipped over things.

I sighed and boredly picked at my school breakfast. Beside me, Naruto was gulping his Cheerio's as if they would run away. Not that I'd be surprised if they did. To my other side, Sasuke was mutilating his kolache with a spork. Sighing again, I used my spork to put a single cornflake in my mouth.

"So, if Kellogg's don't seem to captivate your attention, what does?" I glanced and took a moment to place a name to the face that was staring at me.

"Cornflakes are overrated," I mumbled, stabbing my spork into the milk sodden mess and raised my voice. "But sit down if you want, Gaara. This one's Naruto," I pointed at Naruto and he grinned through a mouthful of honey nut mush. "And this one's Sasuke." The Uchiha nodded in greeting. "What brings you to our sorry collection of friends?"

The short redhead dropped his book bag on the tabletop and made himself at home, putting his breakfast pizza and carton of milk down beside it.

"Because its my first day here and you're the only person I know?" There was a hint of a smile in that. "Good, now shut up. I see pizza." I took note that this time, he had used the hair glue.

short while later

"Uh, where's room 213?" Gaara asked after staring at his paper for almost a minute. Slowly, I put a hand on either side of his head and turned it to the left, then let go.

"Oh…" Gaara was staring at the number plaque beside him. It was for room 213. "That makes sense. Its always under - or behind - my ass. I can never find the remote." I blinked at Gaara and he blinked back. "What?"

"Nothing." I shook my head. How did Gaara ever survive to get this far in life? Having only know him for about a total of two hours, I had seen him do a great number of things that no one fully within their mind might do. Shaking my head again, I put my hands on his shoulders and pushed him towards his class.

Well, this is chapter two. I'm not sure if it fits, or if its rather anti-climatic. Whatever the case, I'm hoping to have SOMETHING updated/submitted soon. I'll love you to pieces if you review.


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